Wexford Opera Festival has opened its 74th edition with a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Le Trouvère at the National Opera House. The production, an Irish premiere of the French version, features ballet music and centres on a rivalry for the love of Leonora between the troubadour Manrique and the Comte de Lune. RTÉ broadcast the event live on lyric fm and online via RTÉ Culture at 8pm, allowing audiences across Ireland to follow the opera.
The opening coincided with fireworks on the quays, drawing crowds to the town centre before the performance. Organisers report that tickets for the run sold out weeks in advance, with the festival expected to contribute over €10m to the local economy through visitor spending.
The full programme spans 16 days until November 1, 2025, under the theme of Myths and Legends, and includes three main stage operas alongside recitals, concerts, talks and free pop-up events.
- Deidamia by G F Handel follows on October 18 at 7.30pm, marking the composer’s last Italian opera in a co-production with Göttingen International Handel Festival; further dates for this title run on October 22, 26 and 30.
- The Magic Fountain by Frederick Delius appears on October 19, 23, 25 and 31, set in a mythical location around a fountain that grants eternal youth.
- Le Trouvère repeats on October 21, 24, 29 and November 1.
- A community opera adaptation of Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes place in the Grain Store at Stonebridge, with local participants alongside professionals.
- The Wexford Factory, a development academy, presents Gioachino Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims to mark its 200th anniversary.
- Short works for young directors include La Tragédie de Carmen by George Bizet and Der Zwerg by Alexander Zemlinsky.
- A late-night event, Urban Legends, commissions a piece by Colm Tóibín and composer Andrew Synnott.
- The Spiegeltent Festival runs parallel from October 17 to November 2, with acts such as Jarlath Regan on October 16 and Dan McCabe on October 17.
- RTÉ plans broadcasts for Deidamia on October 18 at 7.30pm and a recording of The Magic Fountain on October 25 at 7pm.
- Festival booklets cost €20 at the box office. The Arts Review published a four-star assessment of Le Trouvère on October 18, calling it a hit.
